March 15, 2022 — A formal petition has been filed by conservationists to expand federal protection for North Pacific right whales. With only 30 individuals left, this makes the right whale the most endangered whale in existence.
Advocates say the petition, which calls to protect the whale’s migratory areas, will give them a fighting chance for survival.
Threats to the species continue to grow as shipping traffic skyrockets through Alaska, which is only expected to continue. In a press release issued by the Center for Biological Diversity, the group says that surging trans-Arctic shipping traffic is one of the many threats to right whale habitat, including climate change and melting sea ice that is expected to open shipping routes and increase the risk of vessel strikes.